Sunday, September 25, 2011

oh, the irony...

One of my biggest pet peeves is people who litter.
It drives me crazy to see people toss cigarettes or trash out the windows of cars. In Texas, the campaign "Don't Mess with Texas" was a huge success in deterring the litter problem. I would personally like to see a national campaign of "Only stupid people litter". :)

Somehow, it is even worse to live here in this beautiful, natural, rural setting and see trash on the side of the road. I am the "self-appointed" road monitor in my neighborhood and often pick up litter when we go on our dog walks. As much as it makes me angry that I have to do it, it also can turn my whole day around to do something beneficial for my neighborhood. I swear you can hear the forest whispering "thank you" as I/we pick up trash along the road.

One day, Dan and I were on a dirt road in our neighborhood picking up trash and I climbed up an incline into some bushes to pick up a good half dozen beer bottles. In climbing out, I tripped over a limb and fell. I saw the sharp pointed edge of a thick, jagged stump rushing towards my face as I fell. I turned my head at the last second and the stump scraped the side of my neck leaving a large gash, but I survived. In the split-second of the fall I was seeing my obituary: woman dies picking up trash! I did, however, land with all of the beer bottles safely in my arms. ;) Poor Dan stood there watching the whole event unfold in slow motion. He relived the image for days and banned me from going into the brush to retrive litter; which, of course, lasted until the next time I spotted a bottle in the woods. ;)

One of our daily walking routes is referred to by us as "the loop." The other day as Ella and I walked the loop I picked up trash along the road. We were about 3/4 the way around when my grocery bag was full of liter and I decided to leave the bag on the side of the road (to pick up later, or sometimes a nice phantom neighbor will assist my efforts and pick up the bags, or piles I make until I can get back with more bags) and cut through a path in the woods to get home (thankfully, there is never any litter in the forest.)

It was a gorgeous Fall day and I wanted to sit in the forest for a while and feel its calm energy. I found an abandoned stone wall, long forgotten, that was deep in the trees off of the path.

As I sat on there on the wall I happened to noticed what looked like the bottoms of two bottles buried at the base of a nearby tree. They were barely visible under decades of forest debris and pine needles.

I dug them out... a treasure! Two antique bottles with that slight purple tinge that sitting out in the sun for 100 years will do to glass. One bottle had writing on it and looked to be a whiskey bottle; the other bottle was unmarked, but had a wide mouth. I was delighted, and immediately started to ponder who had placed them there and when? Who was the last person to touch them? Perhaps one of the men who had built the wall? I'm thinking I would need a shot or two;) of whiskey if I had just spent the day moving huge stones to make a wall!

As I happily carried my newly found "treasures" out of the forest it suddenly dawned on me....

Oh, the irony.
My "treasures" were in reality just someones one hundred year oldlitter!

I brought my new finds home, soaked them for days and cleaned them up. One is indeed a whiskey bottle from the H.W. Huguley Co. that was in Boston from 1834 to 1916 (according to ebay it isn't of great value.) The other has a fabulous shape, but no marking except for a "2" on the bottom. I have no idea what it contained. (Any bottle experts out there?!) I'm going to get a large cork stopper to fit the top so that I can use it for ???!

So, do you suppose I should leave all the Bud Lite cans and Miller bottles on the road, and in one hundred years someone will think that they, too, are "treasures"?!

My 4th graders are just now studying the fungi kingdom, so I am going to share your gorgeous photos of the bracket fungi with them. We don't have any forests like this in NE, so they have never seen it growing! You just never know when you send those lovely photos out to the world, how many people it might touch! Thanks for sharing.

Love this post Joan! Seeing the forest reminded me of my early days living in the Oregon Coast forest. The irony of finding 100 year old trash is, well, ironic! It amazes me that out of the entire forest, you sat down where these bottles were buried. Now they can be appreciated in your home. Keep picking up the trash, and please be careful!

I too have the habit of picking up new litter, which I regard as a nuisance, but admiring old litter, which helps anchor the site to its past. I even like the broken, worthless pieces, which still have their archaeological value.

I always want the woods to look better after I leave it than when I enter it, and it strikes me that finding the old trash is some celestial reward for cleaning up the new.--Road to Parnassus

Beautiful scenery. You may want to take a shovel and dig in the same area. You may have discovered the site of an old outhouse. Bottles, dishes and other trash were often tossed down the chute. You might have found buried treasure.

Early pioneers used jars like that for brandied cherries, peaches, small pickles etc. I have a photograph of some preserved fruit found in The Arabia, a sunken steam boat from the 1800's, unearthed along the Missouri River. It looks very similar to the wide mouth bottle you have. You may uncover more artifacts in these woods as pioneers did not have landfills, they would dump their trash in woods or in outhouses. I also understand your disgust with littering. I live on a farm and we have miles and miles of roadside to pick up. People sometimes dump mattresses, microwaves, and even refrigerators.....yuk!

Mother Nature appreciated all the work you do in trying to keep her place clean, so she gave you a gift, knowing you would find it there.Ella looks so happy, Tate would have loved that kind of life too. I have fond memories of a childhood with "woods" behind the house, and having lived in Oregon before moving to Buenos Aires, I often miss the quiet and the "green " smell of the woods.. I need to go find me some woods !!The bottles are wonderful, the spider webs are too, although I prefer to avoid that sight :)besitos, C

I love your idea for a national campaign. Just 2 days ago I thought I saw a city worker throw a styrofoam cup in the street, but wasn't sure, because I only saw him out the corner of my eye. If I thought if I ever catch someone littering I'll be sure to yell at them that "mommy won't be here to pick your trash and I don't like having to pay the city to do it for me, so pick it up".

I once lived across the street from a family and the kids were allowed to just throw their trash down in the front of the house and mommy or daddy would come behind them and pick it up and never once tell them to not do it. These "kids" were 23 and 21.

Your pictures are just beautiful...I'd love to live near a forest like this! You have a big heart...but please be careful. How ironic it is that you found the bottles while you were picking up bottles! A nice pay off!! With or without a cork, the bottles are very pretty and unique!!

Joan, it drives me crazy, too at how many people care so little for for other people's property and our roadways and just toss things out of their cars driving by our house. I have to pick up trash before I can cut the grass. I have had plenty of broken bottles in our grass. Good for you cleaning up as you walk. Your forest shots are gorgeous and what wonderful finds.

Joan, What a beautiful place you live. I am always amazed at people that think nothing of littering. When we lived at the beach it was a constant job to pick up all the beer bottles and trash left on the beach. Finding the bottles may have been the forests way of rewarding you for helping keep it clean. Hugs,Sherry

It drives me crazy to see people throw out trash and litter too. The worst is driving down the road and seeing people throw stuff out of their car. So nice that you spend your time keeping your neighborhood nice.

Oh, wow! I would love to walk in woods like you have. And how nice that you have that path. We are constantly picking up trash, too, because we live near two heavily traveled roads. Your photographs are outstanding, and your bottles were real finds.

This was a science lesson and decorating on a budget 101 all tied into one! Haha, this was great. I so agree about the littering, a major pet peeve of mine too! That spider web picture is truly incredible....what a great walk you went on!

Hi, Joan,Your Ella looks like she is part pit bull like my Bella. Don't they make the best companions? You certainly live in a lovely area, and good for you for helping to keep it that way.I think the whiskey bottle could be used for olive oil with one of those cork top/dispensers. The unknown-origin bottle would look nice with one flower in it. I know, not too creative, but it's all I have right now.Best...Victoria

Nature is so beautiful without the litter! You have a beautiful place to walk in the woods. What a find - the stone wall and the bottles! On our road people throw out their fast food bags of cups and wrappers and leftovers plus the familiar brown Tim Horton's coffee cups! And the broken beer bottles that are dangerous for doggy feet, bicycle and car tires! I think it's terribly rude and irresponsible. Kudos to you for picking up!

it always makes me shake my head and wonder about those who failed to careabout their actions and how they affect this earth we all share. How nice you were rewarded for your part in helping to keep America clean.

It's illegal to litter in Michigan, but everyone's version of litter is different. I see people toss cigarette butts out all the time and those things don't deteriorate! There are those who still do it and always will though and it seems at night there are people who figure if no one can see them do it- it must not matter!! We often have items to pick up in front of our home. I hate to see it too. It's sweet of you to take the time to be so attentive. Your new find is pretty awesome! The fact that they weren't broken seems quite amazing!

Dylan and I are the trash people on our road, hate trash on a country road! Your bottles are great especially that wide mouth one. We found a whole wire basket full of ones like that in our old barn area and I love them but same as you no idea what they were used for. Love this story, enjoy the return of summer!

That wider mouth bottle could have been from any number of things that originally were packaged this way. However since it was found along side a whiskey bottle, my guess is that there was some "home brew" put in it "way back when" :-) Or possibly some "elixer". Either way, fun finds. And the photos are beautiful!

Liter bugs suck, except for our ancestors! People who liter are a maddening and perplexing lot. I suspect they are the same people who leave their shopping carts in the parking lot just waiting to scratch you car!!!

I sure miss the forest! We recently moved from the Pacific Northwest (temperate rain forest country) to the prairies, where a 'forest' would be a field of wheat =) Thank you for the photos to remind me of how gorgeous the forest is during this time of year (prime mushroom picking time!)

Joan what a lovely place to be able to take a walk. I am with you when it comes to littering, it is one of my pet peeves also. I remember when my boys were young and one threw out a gum wrapper out the car window. I told them it might not seem like much because it is just one wrapper thrown by one person, but what if every single person in the World threw out one wrapper at the same time, how much garbage did they think it would create. I am death on littering. Too me it shows respect for our beautiful country to not litter. Now about those amazing bottles, I have my doubts that a bud light bottle will ever be as fascinating as your two treasures. Lucky YOU!!! Kathysue

first and foremost, i love that you are picking up junk and litter. it drives me bonkers! good for you! you totally deserved to find those treasures. i really like the odd shaped bottle. looks purplish. what a beautiful path!

I love the woods so much. Thank you for taking us along on your walk. The photos are wonderful, and the fungus on the tree is mesmerizing. Spiderwebs are amazing to me, although I am terrified of the residents...You get a big gold star for cleaning up the trash. Litterbugs really bother me, but the bottles you found were quite a treat! Irony, indeed!The tall one is an old olive bottle - they are wonderful :)Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!xo isa

This was your lucky day! I once saw a man just throw his fast food bag down and so I very cleverly said, "I think you dropped something!". Believe it or not, he didn't pick it up. It drives me crazy for people to trash our beautiful world! I like your slogan too! "Only stupid people litter." sounds like a winner! :)

What a beautiful place you have to walk! I love the ancient stone wall. Isn't it fascinating to wonder who lived there and what it fenced? On one of our riding paths, waaaaaayyyy out in the middle of the woods, where few people ever go, there is a little bronze plaque on the ground, maybe 5" by 8" that says Washington-Rochambeau trail 1781. I'm sure I'm a big nerd, but that gives me such a thrill.

Wow, so glad nothing too serious happened when you fell! Scary. I love, love, love your pictures. What I wouldn't give to live somewhere beautiful like that, but living in Dallas, as you know, you don't see much, if any full trees at all. Bummer. I've told my husband we are moving to New England in the hopefully not so far future. Love the bottles, and I wouldn't pay E-bay to much attention, because you have an eye for things, and those bottles are definitely treasures.

Joan,Thank goodness you take the time to clean up liter...I too hate to see liter. I was worried your story was going to be that someone found the bag of liter and thought you had left it on the side of the road and was unhappy with you! Much better ending...your bottles are great.Karen

You are so funny! I too hate litter bugs! When my family vacations at the beach my daughter hunts for sea shells and I spend the days picking up trash that has washed up from the ocean or been left out by sunbathers. It makes me sick! I was watching a show on the Discovery Channel about these divers exploring the Mariana Trench and at the very deepest part of the ocean...in an underwater submersible...where no sunlight penetrates...was a bud light beer bottle!

ROCK ON! I totally chalk that one up to good karma!!!! What cool finds!!! I too feel there should be a no littering campaign! I used to do a science unit with my second graders on littering...so fun to hear at parent teacher conferences how many parents got in trouble by their kids when they were caught littering. Keep up the good work!

Joan, I did read this with a smile....My husband and I do this same tour regularly around our property in France. As we wander the little side roads we get the strangest stares from the locals....but we can't stand to see the litter so we always walk with plenty of plastic bags! It is a thankless and never ending task...we have drivers who think that throwing things from their windows doesn't count....but we can't stop!...I have yet to find treasure though.....Shall keep my eye out...xv

What gorgeous pictures - I love to spend time in forests like yours. We have one right down the road from us and, similar to you, our dog takes me for a walk in there often. :) I'd say those bottles are well deserved - well done on picking up the litter!

I stumbled upon your blog yesterday while in search of kitchen remodeling ideas. The hubby and I will begin remodeling my parents 1910 hotel in south Texas soon--to make into a B&B/restaurant. Your kitchen is exactly what I have in mind for ours!

Your post today hits home in so many ways--since I was little mom and I have combed the ditches in front of their property to pick trash. Mom gets very enraged sometimes while doing it and has been known to let a few bad words slip. She became so upset a few months back she decided to do the Texas adopt the highway--that meant keeping 2miles on either side of her property clean--she bought a 4 wheeler and dad outfitted it with 4 trash bins. Dad would drive and she would pick the trash while holding on to him. I think it lasted 3 months and she had to call the state and tell them it was too much. She's now back to picking in front of the house! I don't know how well the program worked in the Dallas area, but in South Texas it's somewhat effective.

As for finding the bottles--my parents are bottle collectors and while living in Central Texas on an old farm (where I grew up) they discovered a mass trash dumb from the early 1800-1900s..we had bottles, pots, pans, forks, knives, dolls, cars, tractors--you name it coming out of the ground! Most they kept, others they sold or just left there. I can imagine your surprise when you found those.

Your house and surroundings are so beautiful!! Much different than Texas!

Woah, that first part of your story is scary- I'm glad nothing more serious happened to you while getting those bottles on the side of the road! The bottles you found in the woods are so cool- even if they dont have much value they are real NH treasure and I love that they are so sold! Bottles were cool looking back then, not like they are now. I say keep being a thoughtful trash picker :)

Litterbugs bother me, too! I pickup trash almost everyday while walking my boys to the bus stop. The worst was a used Kleenex. Eww! Your bottle finds are fantastic, but even more fantastic is the beautiful scenery in which you found them! I'd love to see more pics in a few weeks when leaves are peaking!

Love this post, as I can relate.How many times have I dragged along behind me on the beach a trash bag. It becomes full in a hurry. But, your post, the irony of it all, made me smile. And love the spider web. Very inspirational!

I love this post for so many reasons! I've been reading your blog, or rather looking at it and loving it for a few months. This post really spoke to me, because of the irony. I love seeing the good in things. I also spent Saturday picking up mostly cigarette butts in preparation for a festival, and was stewing the whole time about careless people. It's nice to know I'm not alone. Thanks for the beautiful photos. and stories.

What a wonderful post and beautiful pictures! This makes me want to take a walk thru the woods on my day off tomorrow. Maybe I will find some treasures too! If not, I'll will enjoy the beauty of God's nature.

Do you have the latest Pottery Barn catalog? (Fall 2011) If so, turn to page 26. There is a picture of a glass bottle that is strikingly similar to yours. In the picture, it's being used as a bedside water bottle with glass and all.Camille

This is ironic and very funny! I LOVE the purple glass. I live on a dirt road in Georgia and pick up glass fragments every day on my walk. Someday I hope to make an art project out of them. You are very fortunate to have found two WHOLE bottles. In 100 years, I don't think beer cans will have the same value as those beautiful bottles will always have.

oh my...those rocks...don't you just want to place your hand on their mossy tops... as if you could reach through time and touch the hands that placed them there...the bottles are not the only treausres left in the forest...silent images of long ago men...with dreams and determination are spoken of with each of those boulders...and bottles...determination and dreams don't come easily...

I am SO GLAD you didn't get badly hurt in that fall. I guess good deeds do have a reward, those cool bottles!! Those pictures was so calming. How blessed you & Ella are to stroll along that path. Just jealous here in Hot Houston!!

That is such a lovely irony!!! I have one of those massive spider webs outside my window, where I'm typing....and it kind of freaks me out. But, spider man worked so hard, I hate to tear it down....yet.

Joan,Oh my goodness, I thought I was the only one who hated litter but then relished in finding antique treasures. I have been giving my house so much love and as soon as my studio is open, I will give your house some love in the form of a sketch. Each time I find yourhouse in my pile, I am reminded of my promise. I just am so inspired by so many here who care about our world, about details about loving where they live and all the creatures that surround us.pve

What a lovely post, we have a neighbourhood clean up day (held annually on Clean up Australia Day) where all the neighbours (in small groups)armed with gloves and sacks are dropped at various locations. We all walk along the road picking up rubbish as we go. We all make our way back to a central location (in our case a winery) where we drop the rubbish in a skip (supplied by the council). We then wash up for a neighbourhood bbq and wine. This year we had over 30 people clean - great way to meet the neighbours and do something good for the community!

We are litter picker-uppers and ANTI litter Texans!!!I think you should get a good tight stopper for the straight bottle, fill it with frozen dry beans and use it for a rolling pin :^)WEll, you did ask :^)Wonder ful post...give sweet Ella a hug for me!J

Litter-bugs are one of my (many!) pet-peeves. My family vacationed in the Allegheny State Park in NY every summer. One time during a drive, my sister threw a gum wrapper out of the car window. My dad slammed the car to a stop so fast, we all nearly flew over the seat! No seat belt laws in the 70's :) He backed up the car and made my sister get out and find the gum wrapper.

Thank goodness you're ok!! That adventure could have ended quite disastrously!! And thank you for my lovely vicarious walk in the woods - I wouldn't abandon your mission, just be a little more careful! :-)

Thanx for allowing me to come along with you on your walk in the woods! I miss the woods~living in Florida now. I spent most of the first 40 yrs of my life on a one lane dirt road in the woods in Vermont....Finding bottles like that was always lots of fun! I think that multi-colored peppercorns would look great in that tall jar. I do like your slogan 'only stupid people litter'.... I just got back from a road trip, from Fl. to NC, and I was amazed that NC was the state that I saw the most littering.

We share the same pet peeve! I am always picking up and cussing those who leave their trash behind. I once stopped the car, picked up the coke can dropped by the person in front of me, followed them home and threw it to them , I said, " You dropped this!" My kids vowed never to speak to me again...sadly, that did not last. LOL Keep up the good work, maybe someday the fools will see the light.

There are three types of people. Those that throw trash and then those that come along who either ignore trash or pick up trash. The only trash I throw is an apple pit or two. I pick up what I can when out walking or in a park. I say a big "Thank You" to you for picking up. I know a local conservation officer who does privy dives. He digs up long abandoned outhouses. He has the most amazing treasures as the outhouse often was used as a mini dump.

Oh my goodness-- YESSSS! I can't stand litter! When I lived in England, we visited a popular scenic overlook and a teenage boy who was eating some fries, just tossed his plate on the ground and walked on. I picked it up and said, "Excuse me, I think you dropped this." He grunted and tried to ignore me, but then a fellow Brit came over and gave him a thorough chewing out. I wanted to hug that woman.

I pick up litter on walks too. It drives me nuts when I forget to bring a bag. And people who drive flat bed trucks-- when you throw loose trash in the back of your truck, it has a funny way of magically blowing out into the road when you're cruising down the road.

I was wondering do the shelf fungus just fall off the trees or do you knock them off. I love your blog-I like you love to decorate with nature but alas I live in dry West Texas and my world is completely different than yours. Keep writing-you make me happy.

Welcome! Thank you for leaving a comment; you have no idea how much your comments inspire me to keep writing- I appreciate each and every one. Comments are moderated by me prior to publishing on the blog, so if you don't see your comment post immediately it will be posted as soon as I receive it and read it. joan

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Twelve years ago I could not have even pointed out New Hampshire on a map, but here we are! Nine years ago, after living for 15 years in the beehive that is Dallas, Dan and I finally escaped and landed in a very small town in New Hampshire that doesn't even have a traffic light. Perfection! Our move was a huge risk, but it has paid off with dividends and we absolutely love it here. I think we are really Yankees at heart. If you've never been to New England I cannot describe it with adequate words, you really just have to experience it. It is like no other part of the country. Its beauty matches our beloved Colorado, Oregon, and Washington and its spirit (Live Free or Die) is reminiscent of Texas, and the people... well, we have found them to be most genuine. In essence... we feel as if we have arrived home!

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